Woodlice

[poshme]

Are coming through a tiny hole between wall & floor into my en suite. Not the external wall.

Floor also seems slightly to have more 'give' than it used to.

Laminate floor. Shower in corner box curved cubicle. No obvious leak.
House built about 20 years ago.

Are my floors rotting?? Help!!

@pigletjohn I know you've talked sense about many things including wood lice before... do I need to pull up all the laminate?!

yes

you mention en suite. So water is present.

Woodlice have no teeth and don't really eat wood. They eat the fungus that grows on rotting wood. also, being related to lobsters, they only live in damp conditions, and must lay their eggs in moisture.

So I will postulate that water is escaping, probably from a leaking shower waste or around a bath, but possibly from a pipe or overflow.

Until you expose the floor you will not know where or how bad the damage is.

I expect you will find the old floor is made of chipboard. The best place for this is in a skip or on a bonfire.

after the leak has been repaired and the wood dried out, I'd recommend treating the joists with a timber preserving chemical. I like Cuprinol. apply at least two coats, each after the previous has soaked in but is still wet.

I recommend re-flooring with 18mm or thicker WBP ply. It is probably available in pieces the same size as the floor was originally laid in, making replacement fairly easy. A carpenter can do this if you not not good at accurate sawing and marking. You can probably have a temporary piece screwed down so you can safely walk on it during repair and drying out. If you can find a reputable local plumber by personal recommendation (not from an advertising website masquerading as a recommendation source) then as well as repairing the leak, they will be able to take out the WC and basin if you need to put new floor under them. Baths are more tiresome to take out as they are usually tiled into the walls. Some plumbers can do simple carpentry to an adequate standard.

If the floor is screwed down (not nailed) you have more chance of being able to lift it if necessary in future. You need struts (noggins) under all unsupported joints. Laminate flooring is unsuitable for bathrooms.

Bugger.

Thank you very much! I knew you'd have the answer.